The Happy Highwayman is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1939 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom and The Crime Club in the United States. This was the 21st book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The 1963 Hodder and Stoughton paperback edition erroneously gives 1933 as the book's original publishing date, as does the 1958 Pan Books paperback.
This was the last set of Saint short stories until the publication of Saint Errant nine years later. It is also the first Saint book since Thieves' Picnic in which Templar's girlfriend and partner, Patricia Holm, does not appear. Also absent is Hoppy Uniatz, Templar's sidekick. However, the story "The Charitable Countess" does include the return of Inspector Fernack, last seen in 1935's The Saint in New York.
In his introduction to the 1963 Fiction Publishing Corporation edition of 1930s Enter the Saint, Charteris writes that he had no intention of updating his early stories as they were republished, preferring them to remain as period pieces. When Hodder & Stoughton republished The Happy Highwayman in 1963, however, some updates were done to parts of the texts. This is most noticeable in the story "The Star Producers". When originally published in 1939, several major stars of the day were referenced, specifically William Powell, John Barrymore and Greta Garbo. For the 1963 edition, these names were replaced with 1960s stars William Holden, Marlon Brando, and Brigitte Bardot, respectively. (However, a reference to Charles Laughton is left unaltered.) Another story, "The Man Who Was Lucky", makes reference to the Atomic Age in the 1963 edition, a term not in use when it was first published in 1939.
The Happy Highwayman collection marked the end of an era in the Saint series. Beginning with the next book, The Saint in Miami, Charteris relocated Templar to the United States where most of the 1940s adventures would take place; afterwards, Templar's adventures became more international in scope. The Happy Highwayman, as a result, was the last Saint book for many years to be primarily set in Great Britain. In addition, beginning with The Saint in Miami Templar's adventures became primarily World War II-focused. Aside from a few subtle references, the character of Claud Eustace Teal disappears from the series after this book, not to return until an appearance in the 1956 short story collection The Saint Around the World, though a few off-the-cuff references will be made to him in the interim.
The next Saint book to be primarily set outside the US would be The Saint in Europe, published in 1953.
Stories
The book consisted of 9 stories (the order varies between editions):
The Man Who Was Lucky - The Saint steps in to save the life of a murder witness who is marked for death by a gangster.
The Smart Detective - upon returning to England from a trip abroad, The Saint becomes interested in a stash of emeralds owned by a sweat shop owner, not realizing an ambitious Scotland Yard detective is watching his every move. Serialised in Woman's Journal May 1938 as "A Matter of Seconds".
The Wicked Cousin - when Simon discovers an old friend has been unfairly treated by a will, he sets out to make things right.
The Well-Meaning Mayor - during a visit to the seaside town of Elmford, Simon avenges the suicide of a police commissioner by going after the corrupt civic leader responsible. Serialised in Woman's Journal June 1938 as "Saint's Day".
The Benevolent Burglary - Templar makes a bet with a mean-spirited art dealer that his collection will be stolen within a week of a gala opening, which sets Scotland Yard Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal after the Saint in order to prevent the crime.
The Star Producers - after a young woman loses $4,000 in a fake acting school scam, Templar decides to enrol.
The Charitable Countess - Simon engages in a battle of wits with a less-than-charitable society figure.
The Mug's Game - with the aid of a pair of trick glasses, Templar turns the tables on a pair of poker cheats.
The Man Who Liked Ants - Charteris takes The Saint into science fiction territory when he meets a scientist who has bred giant-sized ants in order to replace humans as the dominant species.
Some editions of this book omit the stories "The Charitable Countess" and "The Mug's Game".
Television adaptations
All but three of the stories from this collection formed the basis for episodes of the 1962-69 TV series, The Saint.
"The Man Who Was Lucky" and "The Charitable Countess" were both adapted during the show's first season, on 13 and 20 December 1962 respectively. "The Well-Meaning Mayor" and "The Benevolent Burglary" aired during the second season on 5 and 26 December 1963 respectively. "The Smart Detective" was adapted during The Saint's abbreviated fourth season on 22 July 1965. "The Man Who Liked Ants" was adapted as "The House on Dragon's Rock", which aired on 24 November 1968 as an episode of the sixth season.
The Saint is the nickname of the fictional character Simon Templar, featured in a series of novels and short stories by Leslie Charteris published between 1928 and 1963. After that date, other authors collaborated with Charteris on books until 1983; two additional works produced without Charteris's participation were published in 1997. The character has also been portrayed in motion pictures, radio dramas, comic strips, comic books and three television series.
Enter the Saint is a collection of three interconnected adventure novellas by Leslie Charteris first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in October 1930, followed by an American edition by The Crime Club in April 1931.
The Last Hero is the title of a thriller novel by Leslie Charteris that was first published in the United Kingdom in May 1930 by Hodder and Stoughton and in the United States in November 1930 by The Crime Club. The story initially appeared in The Thriller, a British magazine, in 1929. Because of this somewhat convoluted publishing history, The Last Hero is occasionally cited as the second volume of adventures featuring the crime-busting antihero Simon Templar, alias The Saint, predating Enter the Saint. In fact, according to Charteris himself, it was the third book of the series. This is supported by references to the events of Enter the Saint within the novel.
Alias the Saint is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in May 1931 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the sixth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, also known as "The Saint". The three stories had previously been published in The Thriller magazine in the UK.
She Was a Lady is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The novel was first published in serialized form in the magazine Thriller in February and March 1930, and after being rewritten by Charteris, was first published in complete form in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in November 1931. This was the seventh book chronicling Templar's adventures, and the fourth full novel.
The Holy Terror is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in May 1932 by Hodder and Stoughton. This was the eighth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". When published in the United States for the first time, in September 1932, the title was changed to The Saint vs. Scotland Yard.
Once More the Saint is a collection of three interrelated mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in January 1933. This was the tenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The first American edition, published in May 1933, changed the title to The Saint and Mr. Teal, which was later adopted by UK editions of the book.
The Brighter Buccaneer is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in June 1933. This was the eleventh book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". It was the first volume to make use of the short story format; previously Charteris had written either short novels or full-length novels featuring the character. This format would dominate the series during the late 1940s and through the 1950s.
The Misfortunes of Mr. Teal is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in May 1934 by Hodder and Stoughton and the United States by The Crime Club. The book was republished under two additional titles: The Saint in England and, as of 1952, The Saint in London.
Boodle is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom by Hodder and Stoughton in August 1934. This was the thirteenth book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", and the second short story collection featuring the character. The title is taken from the British slang term "boodle" meaning bribery, stolen goods or loot. When first published in the United States by The Crime Club, the unfamiliar-sounding title was changed to The Saint Intervenes, and this title was later applied to future UK editions.
The Saint Goes On is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in November 1934 by Hodder and Stoughton and in the United States in May 1935 by The Crime Club. This book continues the adventures of Charteris' creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint.
The Ace of Knaves is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, first published in the United Kingdom in 1937 by Hodder and Stoughton, and in the United States by The Crime Club. This book continues the adventures of Charteris' creation, Simon Templar, alias The Saint. Later editions of the book were retitled The Saint in Action. The adventures in this book mark the return of Templar's longtime girlfriend and partner Patricia Holm and his nemesis, Chief Inspector Claud Eustace Teal since The Saint Goes On.
Prelude for War is a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris featuring his Robin Hood-inspired crime fighter, Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". The book was first published in the United Kingdom in 1938 by Hodder and Stoughton, and in the United States by The Crime Club the same year. Previously, the novel had been serialized in the American magazine Cosmopolitan. Publication of the book marked the 10th anniversary of the Simon Templar character.
Follow the Saint is a collection of three mystery novellas by Leslie Charteris, featuring the criminal and crimefighter Simon Templar, alias The Saint. The collection was first published in 1938.
Saint Errant is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1948 by The Crime Club in the United States and in 1949 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom. This was the 28th book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", and the first Saint short story collection since 1939's The Happy Highwayman. Several of the stories were based upon the then-current Saint comic strip, while the story "Judith" was first published in 1934.
The Saint in Europe is a collection of short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1953 by The Crime Club in the United States and in 1954 by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom. This was the 29th book to feature the adventures of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", and it also marked a resumption of the book series after a five-year hiatus. The publication of this book also marked the 25th anniversary of the character.
The Saint Around the World is a collection of six short stories by Leslie Charteris, first published in 1956 by The Crime Club in the United States and by Hodder and Stoughton in the United Kingdom in 1957. This book continues the adventures of Simon Templar, alias The Saint, and is the third of three consecutive books that take a "travelogue" approach to the stories, with each taking place in a different exotic locale; Charteris would later return to this theme with The Saint in the Sun.
Patricia Holm is the name of a fictional character who appeared in the novels and short stories of Leslie Charteris between 1928 and 1948. She was the on-again, off-again girlfriend and partner of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint", and shared a number of his adventures. In addition, by the mid-1930s, Holm and Templar shared the same flat in London, although they were unmarried. Although such co-habitation between unmarried partners is commonplace today, it was rare, shocking in the 1930s. The two also appeared to have a somewhat "open" relationship, with Holm accepting Templar's occasional dalliances with other women.
Daredevil is the title of a mystery novel by Leslie Charteris which was first published by Ward Lock in 1929. This was Charteris' fourth full-length novel, and is one of the few full-length books in his canon that does not feature the character of Simon Templar, alias "The Saint". However, the book does have a connection to the Saint series.
Claud Eustace Teal is a fictional character who made many appearances in a series of novels, novellas and short stories by Leslie Charteris featuring The Saint, starting in 1929. A common spelling variation of his first name in reference works and websites is Claude, however in his works Charteris uses the spelling without the 'e'.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
